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We are a museum that focuses on the agricultural heritage of Manatee County, FL. We do this through exhibits, tools, equipment, artifacts, photographs, art work, documents, and stories. We feature the primary commodity areas of fruits and vegetables, horticulture, citrus, commercial fishing, and livestock. We also have a Farm Shop & Garage and a barn that houses larger pieces of equipment. A permanent exhibit is the Manatee County Agricultural Hall of Fame.

In the 1800s, Mandarin was a small farming village that shipped oranges, grapefruit, lemons and other fruits and vegetables to Jacksonville and points north on the steamships that traveled the St. Johns River. In 1864, the Union steamship, the Maple Leaf, hit a Confederate mine and sank just off Mandarin Point. Author Harriet Beecher Stowe wintered in the village from 1867 to 1884.

Long famous for its Key Marco Cat - one of the most remarkable and influential discoveries in North American archaeology- the new Marco Island Historical Museum will explore Southwest Florida's Calusa Indians and bring this vanished civilization to life with informative displays and an exciting recreated village scene.

Experience nature in full bloom at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, a 9-acre tropical oasis on the sparkling shores of Sarasota Bay. Here you will encounter the world's most spectacular living collection of rare tropical plants in open-air and under-glass displays, including more than 6,000 orchids and 3,600 bromeliads in incredible living color.

The Maritime & Classic Boating Museum of Florida was incorporated in 1993 and opened to the public in 1995, moving to its home in 2003. Easily accessed by land or sea, via the south fork of the St. Lucie River, MCBM with its own marina, was located in a small cottage on Kanner Highway, along with a boat restoration facility.

The garden is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a historic Florida landmark. It has been endorsed by The Garden Conservancy as a project of National Significance and received the Florida Trust's "Outstanding Achievement in Landscape Architecture" in 2002.

The Garden receives support from individuals, foundations, and corporations and from income generated from admissions, gift shop sales, special events, and rentals.